Setting up a Warwick neck...

I got my Warwick Streamer Stage II yesterday (Ovankol / Afzelia neck with a Wenge fingerboard) - and after messing with the bridge for a while, I wanted to give it a little more bow in the neck (lefty = loosey, right?). Well, I go about a quarter turn lefty and leave it for a while. Come back to it...no noticeable change. So I go lefty another 1/8-1/4 turn. Leave it for about an hour, come back. Still, nothing has changed. I figure I'd better just stop there and let it sit overnight. Which I did. Now it's been 24 hours and there's still no change whatsoever

I know that the woods in Warwick necks are much stronger than the usual Maple, but for you Warwick owners; how long does it usually take for neck adjustments to settle in? Should I just wait longer or does it need to be adjusted more?

Ok, new observation. I've been checking the neck relief on the G-string which still hasn't shown any change from my adjustements over two days ago. The treble side of the neck looks pretty much flat, where it should (or I would like it to anyways) have a bit of relief. The bass side of the neck however (B-string) has plenty of bow (a bit too much, I'd say). I'm not sure if it was like that before I made the adjustments, but if it wasn't then it seems my truss adjustments have only been affecting one side of the neck.

Is there something funky going on, or does it just need more time (*sigh*)? Mike Lull's shop is right down the street from me - I've been thinking of taking it in for a pro setup (Mike has done wonderful setups for me in the past), but I don't want to have to wait for weeks while his adjustments take affect (if that is the case)

...I seem to remember a picture being posted here of a guy standing on a Warwick neck to show how strong it was...

That was the owner, Hans Peter standing on the neck. Btw, before I traded her, Rob @ Dana B. Goods (Warwick) did a complete setup. I'll ask if he encountered anything wierd. I've emailed him this thread.

It plays great as is - I just know it could set-up better for my style...if I could just get the neck to bow a little for me

Click to expand...

That`s weird, man! I had a festival-gig this summer, and had an urgent need to adjust the neck, so I went to the local instr.dealer and borrowed a trus rod tool (I forgot mine in Oslo). The gig was just an hour later, and I already felt the difference then.

Was that with a Warwick though? I know that with my usual basses (Maple necks), I feel the changes right away.

Here's what the Warwick manual says about the truss rod:

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Warwick Fixed Steel Truss Rod: As of July 1998, All Warwick basses are equipped with a steelreinforced neck and 2-way fixed steel truss rod. All bolt-on necks since February 1996 also employ this truss rod. The easiest way to tell if your bass has this truss rod design is the presence of a volute, or small heel behind the nut. This truss rod can adjust the neck in either direction (push/pull) and works as one would normally expect. If you are facing the 5mm Allen fitting, turn clockwise to flatten the neck, counterclockwise to introduce more relief. This truss rod should be adjusted in 1/8-turn increments. Rotate 45 degrees in the desired direction and let the neck stabilize. Full stabilization can take from hours to weeks after the tension on the neck is altered, but most of the effect of 1/8 of a turn should manifest itself within an hour. If your neck has much more forward bow than you like, it may require a more substantial amount of adjustment. Loosening your string tension can ease this process if more than ½ turn is required to straighten your neck to your taste
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It almost looks like the treble side of the neck has a tiny bit of backbow to it...

Lokire, I'd either have Mike Lull take a look or at the very least give Dana B. Good's a call or shoot them an e-mail as there might be a trick to it. Being that Woodchuck just had it worked on by them before trading me and I had it for only 2 weeks.

This morning, I adjusted a bit more. Another 3/8 (ish) turn lefty - and this time there was immediately a little bit of difference. The treble side of the neck is almost where I want it now, but there's still a bit too much relief on the bass side. Maybe a lighter gauge B-string would help even it out? The B on these Warwick strings is a 135 and I'm used to a 125. How much difference in tension would that be?

It anyone's still following this ( ), here's the e-mail I got back from Dana B. Goods:

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Greg, if you lay the bass on a carpeted floor & put a pillow under the headstock, you should be able to push down on the middle of the neck to "set" the adjustment. You may need another half turn, but check it first.
-Rob Busch/Warwick technical support

Funny...I've always done much the same thing...only I hold the neck in first position, and push in on it in the middle (my body provides the other leverage point). That usually speeds up getting the wood to react to the rod tweak, and "sets" the neck.

I figure that if Hans Wilfer can stand on a Warwick neck without it breaking, then surely giving it a little push like that can't hurt.

Update / Finale to my story (for those of you still following):

So I got the relief where I wanted it, finally. But the bass still didn't play nearly as well as I would like . The strings seemed stiff and coarse. Could just be the fact that they were only a week old, but even so, I didn't like the 135 B-string as I'm used to a 125 (seemed to be putting more bow in the bass side of the neck too). I've been playing my Ken Lawrence a lot more lately just because it feels so much better. Well, today I decided to experiment a little bit. I took the Warwick (black label) strings off of the Streamer and put the DR Lo-riders that had been on my Ken Lawrence on instead.

WOW . Huge difference in playability, feel, and tone (rethinking my plan to change the pickups/electronics now ). It plays perfectly now. I never would have thought that would make such a big difference. DR is definatly my string of choice now